From: Leslie Carlin [fourcarlins@verizon.net]
To: Rob Robertory; Chadwell, Laura G; Wardinski, Paul A.; Bradsher, Elizabeth (School Board Member); Monique Craft; Erik & Mary Hawkins; Nancy Knickerbocker; Lynn Smith; Lorey Goerlinger; Christine Morin; Darren & Debbie Williams; Hawkins, Erik; Cindy.henderson@cox.net
CC:
BCC:
Sent: 6/29/2010 9:55:17 PM
Subject: PLEASE HELP...Time to write to the School Board for WSHS Renovation

Attachments:


Hey everyone…I hope you’re having a good summer so far (hope Bermuda, Myrtle Beach, Cape Cod and other beaches were/are fun!!). I’m asking for your help with getting WSHS renovated as soon as possible!!!!



We REALLY need to SEND the SCHOOL BOARD MEMBERS as many emails as possible regarding the WSHS RENOVATION. As some of you know, many people spoke to the School Board last night about renovating Clifton Elementary. Without mentioning Clifton at all, we need to be vocal about WSHS once again, and remind the SB that we are still waiting for a much needed, much anticipated renovation.



I am attaching a sample text that you can use directly, or if you’d like to amend/change it, that would work also. I’m sure Erik will be sending something as well. In order for the message to go to all of the members, please use schoolboardmembers@fcps.edu. PLEASE PLEASE let’s keep WSHS in the forefront … there is a possibility that we can move to be on the bond in 2011….that is next year!!!! So please send this to your neighbors, friends, relatives, and anyone else, and have them send it to the school board. Let’s get WSHS renovated ASAP!! The vote is on July 8, so the sooner, the better.



Thanks, Leslie



S Selfish
O Ogers
A Advocating
R Renovation Money

WARNING:

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO VISUALIZE THESE TWO TOGETHER!

********************************************************************************



From: Bradsher, Elizabeth (School Board Member) [ETBradsher@fcps.edu]
To: rrobertory1@earthlink.net
CC:
BCC:
Sent: 4/15/2010 11:33:31 AM
Subject: Note

Attachments:


Read these emails it will give you a good idea of what I have been working on and the frustrations of dealing with human nature. It may be enlightening due to our earlier conversation.

________________________________

From: Tistadt, Dean
To: Bradsher, Elizabeth (School Board Member)
Sent: Thu Apr 15 10:55:35 2010
Subject: RE: RE: Robinson meeting



Okay, so if you and I are in relative sync on this issue, the question that begs answering as you note is what do we change about the boundary process that would make it better for everyone. A question to which I don’t have an answer but maybe we can brainstorm with CPDC on this issue and gain the wisdom of the collective group? Alternatively, you and I can go to Hard Times for happy hour and achieve wisdom through cold beers and wings.

_____________________________________________

An Update from Liz
September 2007

Dear Residents:

During the past several weeks I have been grateful to have received endorsements from:

The Fairfax Education Association (FEA) representing over 70% of the teachers in Fairfax County.
The SLEEP organization which represents over 8000 concerned residents for implementing a later bell schedule for county high schools.
These days I have been busy meeting the many District parents at back to school nights at our area schools and in other forums. This has given me an opportunity to view the schools and to listen to the parents about their various educational concerns.

One clear concern is the issue of maintaining neighborhood schools. I fully support the concept of neighborhood community schools. For 5 years I worked to get a school built in record time through innovative financing measures which saved the school system over $16 million dollars. I did this so that the residents in the South County area could be afforded what many other area residents already had, a community school. I know what a community school means to all the families and residents of the Springfield district.

Community schools are important to all residents. A community school is the nucleus or center of the community from where it draws. These schools provide a community identity for students, parents and their neighborhoods. This identity is key to the success of the school, the students, teachers and organizations that give it life and ultimately the key to success for the overall community.

As your School Board representative I will work hard to maintain community schools in the Springfield District as well as in the rest of Fairfax County. I don't approve of breaking long standing communities up for the sake of unwarranted boundary modifications. Personally, I have witnessed too many boundary town meetings which have torn communities apart and resulted in negative outcomes.

There is no substitute in this county for a community school.

Sincerely,
Liz Bradsher
http://lizbradsher.org/update.asp http://lizbradsher.org/update.asp

LIES BY LIZ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nothing new here with Liz the BITCH. She will say
> and do anything that will screw kids and parents.
>


So much anger and hate, please seek help.

I hope you do not own a gun. If you do, please get rid of it. Now.

Really? Really? Not funny to compare Clifton to the shooting in AZ.

From: Bradsher, Elizabeth (School Board Member) [ETBradsher@fcps.edu]
To: Cain, Debora L.
CC:
BCC:
Sent: 6/22/2010 3:31:32 PM
Subject: FW: Clifton Elementary


A flipper!



Elizabeth T. Bradsher



________________________________

From: Jill D. Hill [mailto:Jill.Hill@obrienjones.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 22, 2010 2:53 PM
To: School Board Members
Subject: Clifton Elementary



Dear Sirs,



I am writing to ask that you keep Clifton Elementary School open, renovated or not, to help preserve an integral part of the Clifton community. When I first decided to move out "west" from Arlington to have some space, I primarily focused on Loudoun due to lower costs. One day, at a friend's urging, I drove into Clifton. I loved it. But what sealed the deal for me and made me move to Clifton despite the much higher taxes and property costs was Clifton Elementary. It was where I wanted my kids to go to school. I wanted my kids to grow up in Clifton. My eldest daughter is now 4 and may never get to attend Clifton Elementary.



Clifton is unique in Fairfax County in its need for schools to bring the community together. Generally, except for the town of Clifton, we all live very far apart. My neighborhood covers many square miles and there are only 3 familes with kids. I was counting on Clifton Elementary to bring me together with other local Clifton families with kids that are my daughters' ages. We attend preschool and playgroups, but they are mostly in Burke, as there is a large concentration of preschools and kids there. But kids in Burke don’t have ponies and chickens and farm chores in common with my girls.



Closing Clifton Elementary will be a huge blow to our community. Please consider the unique aspects of Clifton that make us willing to have an older, unrenovated school if that’s what's needed to keep our sense of community and provide a way for us to come together.



Further, I think it is somewhat unreasonable to close a school that is performing so well. Clifton Elementary is a gem educationally, regardless of its age and physical challenges. Please don’t tinker with something that is clearly working so well for us.



Jill DeMello Hill

********************************************************************************

From: Bradsher, Elizabeth (School Board Member) [ETBradsher@fcps.edu]
To: Cain, Debora L.
CC:
BCC:
Sent: 6/15/2010 2:32:16 PM
Subject: FW: Clifton Elementary


Another flipper…



Elizabeth T. Bradsher



________________________________

From: Woodruff, Dave [mailto:woodruff@visa.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 10:26 AM
To: Bradsher, Elizabeth (School Board Member)
Subject: Clifton Elementary



I would like you to know that I fully embrace the saving of Clifton Elementary School. I've been to many elementary schools in Fairfax County and just about all of them have nicer facilities than Clifton Elementary but Clifton seems to be a better school. Clifton Elementary has demonstrated a track record of success.....Why close a successful school?



I hope that you will support the students and parents of Clifton Elementary!



Thank You!


********************************************************************************

From: Bradsher, Elizabeth (School Board Member) [ETBradsher@fcps.edu]
To: Cain, Debora L.
CC:
BCC:
Sent: 6/15/2010 9:44:36 PM
Subject: FW: Clifton Elementary



A flipper…

Elizabeth T. Bradsher



________________________________

From: Anderson, Gary [mailto:GAnderson@springcm.com]
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2010 9:35 PM
To: School Board Members
Subject: Clifton Elementary



As a Clifton resident, I am writing to express my support for keeping Clifton Elementary open. This school is a valuable part of our community and closing it would adversely affect not only the families with children who attend this school, but the many other families whose children would end up moving to other schools as a result. Although we don't have children in Fairfax County schools, we pay substantial property taxes and state income taxes that support the school system.



Sincerely,



Gary Anderson

7230 Clifton Rd

Clifton, VA 20124

From: Bulova, Sharon S. [Sharon.Bulova@fairfaxcounty.gov]
To: Thomas, Mark C.
CC:
BCC:
Sent: 5/4/2010 5:05:59 PM
Subject: FW: Clifton Elementary Response - with my edits.

Attachments:


Dear (Constituent)

Thanks so much for contacting me to share your concerns about Clifton Elementary School.

As you know, decisions regarding Clifton will be made by the School Board. I have offered to work with and assist Springfield District School Board Member Elizabeth Bradsher to explore options available for addressing some concerns about the school. One of those issues concern the wells serving Clifton Elementary and I have asked for County staff in Public Works and Fairfax Water to provide technical guidance with evaluating these aspects of a potential renovaltion including potential cost implications.

I know how much the school means to the community and appreciate hearing from you and knowing your thoughts.
Sincerely,

Sharon Bulova

________________________________

From: Thomas, Mark C.
Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2010 2:48 PM
To: Bulova, Sharon S.
Subject: Clifton Elementary Response


Sharon:

Here is the message I drafted re: Clifton Elementary School, please let me know if any changes are required or if I ought to send it out. Additionally, should I Cc'ed Ms. Bradsher on the out-going messages? We have received three email so far, one opposed and two in favor of renovation.

Mark
________________________________

Dear (Constituent)

Thanks for contacting me to share your concerns about Clifton Elementary School.

For your information, I am working with Springfield District School Board Member Elizabeth Bradsher to explore the options available for addressing concerns about the school. I appreciate knowing your thoughts, thanks for taking the time to write.

Sincerely,

Sharon Bulova

********************************************************************************


What exactly did Sharon Bulova do for the Clifton community?????

So many people are on Liz Bradshers side. Why? I think this goes deeper and should be looked into. Why help Liz? What does she know? Why close Clifton?

?????????????????????????????

Is a SB spot in Nothern Virginia powerful? You think not. Hmmm...

From: aflagel@gmu.edu
To: James, Denise
Cc: Bradsher, Elizabeth (School Board Member)
Sent: Tue May 11 10:11:20 2010
Subject: RE: executive summary-Sub Group C b attachment

Denise - the report from bob is REALLY enflaming members of the committee - some want to scrap and redo their subcommittee reports to have specific recommendations to combat what they see as Bob's efforts to "shanghai" the process...so I'd prefer NOT to have the document accepted as a whole and to leave the concept of a minority report - I realize that's not the intent of a minority report, but otherwise I'm concerned that we're about to lose the tenuous buy-in we've been able to manage for this group. Bear in mind that Bob stormed out of the second to last meeting, and that his group split into two sub groups over an assertion that he declared himself as chair of his subcommittee...personally I think he's one of the brightest members of the larger committee, but he's also as much of a lightning rod as Charlie

**********************************************************************

What? Bob stormed out of the meeting?

Can't be.

I thought he walked on water.

From: larsen family [mailto:larsenva@cox.net]
Sent: Friday, May 28, 2010 7:05 AM
To: Bradsher, Elizabeth (School Board Member)
Subject: Re: executive summary-Sub Group C b attachment-2nd attempt to keep the spirit of our charter



Good Morning,

Yesterday, I had a 25 min office call with Sharon Bulivo... It was a neat conversation. Her assistant asked for another copy of my group's pitch, which I just sent to him.



She had only heard the Clifton point of view from the community to date



thanks for sticking with what is right for the County.



Have a great weekend



vr bob l

Liz Bradsher was the leader of this Hayfield Pyramid Solutions Group. Look how her group whined to the School Board because their kids had to travel long distances to Hayfield.

I guess now that it isn't her kid, she doesn't care how far the Clifton families have to drive.

********************************************************************************

Article: Parents In Fairfax Renew Call For School; Shorter Commute Sought For Hayfield Students


Article from:The Washington Post Article date:September 21, 2000

A group of south Fairfax County parents renewed its push for a new high school for the community this week by taking the 12-mile journey children must travel every day through four high school attendance zones to get to Hayfield Secondary.

Organizers of the parents' caravan said they hoped it would help convince school officials of the need to build a new south county high school--and build it sooner than tentative plans call for.

The parents' organization, known as the Hayfield Pyramid Solutions Group, hopes to influence school officials as they develop the school system's new Capital Improvement Program (CIP) this fall. The CIP spells out the construction timetable for …

South County Boundaries: The Plan Is In
FCPS staff offers its final proposal, which receives mixed reaction from the community.

By By Glenn McCarty
Thursday, November 18, 2004


Parents from Newington Forest, Silverbrook and Halley elementary schools gave thanks a little early this November.
The boundaries for the new south county high school arrived on Monday, and while not to everyone’s liking, the final plan offered the first look at what the county school staff believes are the best boundaries.
The end result of Monday’s third and final boundary town meeting at Hayfield Secondary School is an attendance-area study that will be presented to the Fairfax County School Board in mid-December.
"We can’t accommodate everyone, so what we tried to do was to see the ways we could touch on as many of the points the community made as possible, and still keep the school under capacity," said Gary Chevalier, director of the Office of Facilities Planning Services for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS).
The plan, a result of modifications made to three plans presented at a meeting on Nov. 3, is the school staff’s recommended choice. Now it will be presented to the Fairfax County School Board at its meeting on Dec. 16.
"I’m so pleased that Silverbrook, Halley and Newington Forest are in the plan. I believe that was what this school was built for — to be a community school for these schools," said Liz Bradsher, a Silverbrook parent and member of the Hayfield Pyramid Solutions Group, which assisted the county in procuring the public/private partnership that helped build the school ahead of schedule.

UNDER THE proposed boundary changes, all of Halley, Silverbrook and Newington Forest elementary schools would feed the new south county high school, to open with Grades 7-10, and possibly Grade 11, in September 2005. In addition, portions of Lorton Station Elementary School would also feed the new school. Currently, Silverbrook, Lorton Station and Halley are all in the Hayfield Secondary School Pyramid, while Newington Forest feeds both Hayfield and Lee High School. Hayfield is currently projected to be nearly 600 students over capacity next fall, without the presence of the new south county school.
Just as the county staff was preparing to present one plan to the public with its seal of approval, however, a group of communities from the south portion of the county offered up its own plan, and members were passing out copies of a map to those entering Hayfield on Monday.
"I don’t think they [the county staff] have been listening as well as we’ve been talking," said Linda Burke, a parent in the Saratoga Elementary School community. "It’s not about everybody getting what they want. It’s about the most people getting what they need. Our plan satisfies that."
The group, called Real Educational Alternatives (REAL), is composed of parents from the Gunston, Lorton Station and Saratoga communities. Group members developed a new plan, which they called "Study 2 Modified." The plan was an alternative to the final county staff plan, which some parents felt didn’t service the needs of the Gunston and Lorton Station Elementary communities.
"What mobilized the Gunston community was the realization after the last meeting that the busing conditions in Mason Neck weren’t going to get addressed," said Keith Salisbury, who lives in Mason Neck.
REAL's plan calls for Halley, Silverbrook and Lorton Station elementary schools to feed the new south county school in their entirety. In addition, portions of Newington Forest and Gunston would also feed the school. By moving Newington Forest to Lake Braddock Secondary School, the REAL members said they were able to move Saratoga Elementary into the Hayfield Pyramid.
"It just kind of gelled, because the communities around Saratoga united around a plan to get them all into Hayfield," said Salisbury. "And Lorton Station united around a plan to keep their community whole. And if you looked at what they [the county staff] were trying to achieve, and what we were willing to do in Gunston, all the numbers kind of fell into place."

REAL MEMBERS said they were hoping to convince School Board members and parents of the plan’s viability before the next round of public hearings, on Jan. 4 and 5.
"In the long run, the county’s put together a plan that doesn’t accommodate as much of the majority of schools as we have," said Salisbury.
Based on enrollment projections, the south county high school would open with an enrollment of 799 in Grades 7 and 8, and a high-school enrollment of 765 next fall. By the 2009-10 school year, when it would have Grades 7-12, the total enrollment would be just under 2,500 students. It is being used as a secondary school for the time being, until a new middle school can be built under the school system’s Capital Improvement Program (CIP).
"I think we got as many of the kids living as close to the new school as possible into the new school. We eliminated some of the split feeders, and we have a better balance in the demography than some of the earlier plans," said Chevalier. "I think it’s a good compromise."
Although proposed boundaries appear to be drawn for the near future, some parents raised concerns that the new south county high school might soon be facing an overcrowding situation similar to what is currently faced by students at Hayfield.

*******************************************************************************

"These communities are united and should go to this school. I support this scenario," said Bradsher. "But we didn’t build it to be a mega school. It’s a political process, and instead of doing what’s right for facilities, they did coalesce to the voices of communities."

********************************************************************************

The community will next get the chance to voice opinions on the proposed boundary changes at a series of public hearings on Jan. 4 and 5 at 7 p.m. at Jackson Middle School. Following those meetings, the School Board will take action on the boundary issue at its Jan. 27 meeting.


Let's summarize the consequences of Bradsher's actions. During community her meeting, her group, which she led, arm twisted facilities department to let just about every kid into South County when it opened.

The result: It was overcrowded the day it opened, of course.

Hayfield, Lee and Lake Braddock were stripped of students to populate this school.

Fast forward to 2010.

Hayfield, Lee, Mt Vernon now have plenty of empty seats to accomodate this overflow.

Not good enough for Greedy Lizzie. SHE WANTS HER MONEY!!!

So, we are now building a $50 million middle school that we don't need.

But there is no money to fix the water problem at Clifton.

Now we know why. She took it for herself.

February 25, 2006

Visit 'FairBoundaries 2.0' Blog for The Latest Updates On A Potential
New School Boundary Study In Southern Fairfax County


In order to complete the most timely updates concerning a potential school boundary study within the next year or two in southern Fairfax County, we will be making future news updates on this issue on our sister blog site, FairBoundaries 2.0. This site will continue on as a repository of information related to the 2004-2005 South County Secondary School boundary study.

February 12, 2006
FCPS Board Set Considering Another Boundary Study Just ONE YEAR
After Initial South County Boundaries Were Set
In a meeting tomorrow -- Monday, February 13 -- the staff of the FCPS Facilities office is prepared to recommend to the Fairfax County School Board that they consider conducting another school boundary study involving the South County Secondary, Hayfield Secondary and Lake Braddock Secondary School attendance areas as early as the 2006-2007 school year, despite FCPS policy stating that boundary studies will not be conducted LESS than three years apart. At issue this time is overcrowding at South County Secondary -- a condition that was forecasted by many prior to the final approval of SCSS boundaries in January 2005, and which the Silverbrook/Halley/Newington Forest communities were prepared to live with at that time. One thing we can't help but wonder: why is overcrowding so unbearable and such a hot-button issue at South County Secondary, when Hayfield Secondary lived with that condition for well over a decade? Here's hoping this initiative does NOT go forward for several more years, but stay tuned to this Web site for further developments.

January 28, 2005
FCPS Board Sets South County Secondary School Boundaries
The FCPS Board at its January 27 meeting adopted the staff recommendation for the South County Secondary School boundaries with several amendments to the recommendation, most notably the reassignment of Mason Neck area students from Hayfield Secondary to the new school, and the reassignment of students in the South Hunt Valley Elementary boundary area to the new school. Detailed information is available on the FCPS South County Secondary information website, along with amendment explanations and maps.

December 9, 2004
OFFSIDES: Keeping School Boundaries Fair for All In South County Area
Three town hall meetings held to determine school boundaries for Fairfax County Public Schools’ (FCPS) new South County and Hayfield Secondary Schools are now history. At the first meeting, FCPS officials were urged to consider several issues when planning new or altered school boundaries: minimizing student commutes, avoiding school overcrowding, and maintaining a sense of community, among others.

FCPS presented three proposed boundary plans at the second town meeting. Of the three, projected school demographics and attendance areas in Studies One and Three clearly favored the communities surrounding Silverbrook, Halley and Newington Forest Elementary schools, while those in Study Two broadly favored the southeastern part of the county.

An additional alternative, Study Four, was presented at the final town meeting as the basis of a final boundary recommendation to the Fairfax County School Board. Not surprisingly, Study Four once again meets the desired demographic and attendance area criteria supported by affected communities in the new Lorton and Fairfax Station areas, but not as much for those communities left within Hayfield’s attendance area.

Student proximity to Hayfield has still not been fully considered in Study Four. The distance between proposed north/south boundaries for Hayfield is nearly 17 miles. By contrast, South County’s proposed boundary barely stretches 7 miles in any direction. If Hayfield’s north/south boundaries were decreased and its east/west boundaries expanded, the school could reduce its capacity considerably for the first time in 15 years. South County can initially absorb more than its planned capacity, as a new middle school building will be added to the secondary school site in several years.

Perhaps most importantly, Study Four doesn’t go far enough in balancing demographics. The new boundaries affect Lee and Edison High Schools, along with Hayfield. These three schools show increases in ESOL and Free and Reduced Lunch percentages in Study Four, and higher percentages than South County. Expanding Hayfield’s proposed east/west boundaries could create four high school populations that more fairly reflect the diversity in Fairfax County.

In the end, many town meeting attendees felt as if they were simply “going through the motions†of discussing school boundaries with representatives from FCPS and other communities, and that school planning officials had settled on a final plan weeks ago. Parents from communities in the Fairfax Station and north Lorton area (whose children attend potential South County elementary feeder schools such as Silverbrook, Halley and Newington Forest) have proven to be the most vocal and influential in the South County boundary deliberation process, and (to those who live outside those communities) appeared to have the ear of FPCS officials a majority of the time.

********************************************************************************

Many parents from these particular communities were easily the most combative, arrogant and inflexible of any in attendance at the town meetings. Do not believe the ringleader of the "Hayfield Pyramid Solutions Group" (a true misnomer) when she says this is not about entitlement -- these folks believe that since they fought hardest for the school, that they should get to choose who goes there.

********************************************************************************

Several other parent groups created an additional boundary plan for the final town meeting that many thought was worthy of serious consideration. However, FCPS officials made it clear at that meeting -- to the noisy cheers of Fairfax Station and north Lorton parents -- that Study Four, or a slightly modified version of it, would most likely go forward as the final plan recommendation to the School Board.

While parents from Fairfax Station and north Lorton communities are to be commended for their efforts in creating a unique business partnership to get the new high school built in southern Fairfax County, that does NOT give those individuals the exclusive right to cherry-pick elementary feeder schools, nor to create "designer demographics" for the new South County school. Neither should they apply such pressure to FCPS officials to do the same. The desires of the few do NOT outweigh the needs and requirements of the many in southern and eastern Fairfax County.

The Fairfax County School Board has a unique opportunity to favorably adjust capacity at several high schools under its jurisdiction and to create demographics at those schools that accurately reflect Northern Virginia’s diversity, for many southern Fairfax County families and not just a select few. Here’s hoping the Board takes advantage of that opportunity when it makes its final decision in January.

Mike Lambert
Marie Sudik
Alexandria, Virginia


Now, who was this so called "ringleader" he refers to????

Sounds like Liz was/is an elitist.

WSHS parent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> West Springfield is Special wrote:
> >
> > TRANSLATION:
> >
> > Kevin-
> >
> > Please transfer all available CIP savings to
> > WSHS-but don't tell anyone.
> >
> > Toodles-
> >
> > Liz
>
> More twisted lies from a Clifton supporter.
>
> Liz, thanks for helping WsHs, we love you and will
> get out the vote for you.
>
> PLEASE be careful, these people are obviously nut
> cases and they have guns. We don't want to see a
> repeat of AZ here. :(

THAT was not from me, obviously a troll. I've spoken to no one who supports closing Clifton. In fact, most people in the WSHS pyramid are appalled at the actions and behavior of our SB rep. She'll have few votes here.

A bit of history: After we went through a contentious boundary study (what boudary study isn't contentious?) 5 years ago that woke the entire community, we found ourselves facing a rapidly deteriorating school. This was not new news but we had been pre-occupied with keeping our community whole. At the first community meeting Herrity and Bradsher spoke at legnth about public/private funding for the renovation of WSHS. WSHS was built 50 years ago and has NEVER had a complete renovaton. At that meeting the chair of SOAR intoduced himself. A little known dad who seemed only to want to do good for the community. None of us knew him, which was odd since we all knew the players after the boundary study. Liz welcomed the Chair of Soar with open arms. At that point one could hear a collective groan throughout the room. We knew what was happening. Soon after the SB paid an independent consultant $75,000 to study the need for renovation. Nothing but a ruse. The consultants found that WSHS should be placed at the very top of the renovaton queue. Soon after the SB changed the criteria for renovation and SOCO MS was moved up on the CIP, disregarding the fact that there were newly renovated seats at LBSS. WSHS was screwed and it cost the taxpayers that time, $75,000.

AHHH! It all makes sense now!

See the newly discovered Liz Bradsher autobiography and role model below.
Attachments:

Dave Albo’s “Albo-Rust Public/Private School Construction Plan†helped build the South County Secondary School in 1/2 the time and at 2/3 the cost. Let’s use it to build South County Middle School!

On this page are my two favorite pictures of 2005. They are from the dedication ceremony of the South County Secondary School. The students presented myself and the other citizens who were instrumental in building our new school a “key†to the school! While the real heros of SCSS are Liz Bradsher, Lisa Adler, and countless other parents who spent countless hours advocating for the school, I am pleased to have done my part.


Our neighborhoods’ efforts to find $ to build our middle school is a gret example of citizens working to support their own community. But frankly, this is not how it is supposed to work. The School System has misplaced priorities and has failed to develop a capital improvements program (“CIP†) that is based on need. Currently, it seems to be based on politics. Had the CIP been based on need, SCMS construction and WSHS renovations would be first on the list, given that no middle school seats in our area have been constructed since LBSS 37 years ago and WSHS (opened in the late 60’s) has never had a structural renovation like Lake Braddock, Lee, and Hayfield. Especially troubling is that the Western school board representatives have successfully built 800 more MS seats than they need, are opening a new ES (Coppermine) with few kids to fill it and 200 empty seats around it, and have a new High School on the CIP with over 2000 empty high school seats out there.



"e. From such funds as are made available from appropriations from the School Construction Grants Program, any locality which has 2,000 or more personnel moving into the locality, pursuant to the 2005 Defense Base Realignment and Closure Commission's Closure and Realignment Recommendations List, shall first use these funds, which have been allocated specifically to that locality, to construct schools or address school facility needs due to the in-migration of the BRAC-related personnel, that will serve the areas within the locality which will receive the new personnel."


Explanation:


(This amendment is self-explanatory.)

George Barker amazingly got the Senate Conferees to agree to it. Congrats George - a major accomplishment.


According to House Approps staff, in the Governor's Introduced budget there was $27 Million for school construction grants. When it is run through the formulas, Fairfax gets $869,000 this fiscal year (July 2008-June 2009) and $871,000 next fiscal year (July 2009 - June 2010).


Thus, according to the law, this must be used to address BRAC impact. Therefore, in order to comply with the law, SCMS should be moved up the list for construction now in order to comply with the law. This is the right thing to do, because in a mere three years, there are 18,000 Army jobs moving to South County and up to 50,000 private contractor jobs to follow. Just the 18,000 Army jobs are estimated to bring 3,000 new students into the South County area schools.


Whew! Got it done. It's not enough money to build the school, but $1.74 Million gets us almost 5% of the way there. Most importantly, it will require moving SCMS up the CIP in order to comply with the law.

Authorized and Paid for by Dave Albo for Delegate
As you are aware, our South County neighborhood faces yet another school boundary review next year. This is due to the fact that South County is so packed, it has 26 trailers and two separate schedules. A boundary review is proposed to move neighborhoods into Hayfield and Lake Braddock,which is already full. Thus, putting many of us back where we were four years ago with our kids getting up before dawn and commuting long distances to school.

I have been working with a group of South County parents to use the Public/Private partnership concept I helped create in 2003 to build a South County Middle School ("SCMS"). SCMS would relieve SCSS of over 1,200 students and keep all of us in the South Count Boundary. In fact, some neighborhoods that were removed last year, may be able to petition back in, if that is their desire.


Additionally, this year, with the help of Senator George Barker, I was able to designate $1.7Million of state funds to the construction of SCMS. And your Supervisors have been doing a lot. Supervisor Hyland designated some excess County land to be used for a land swap. And Supervisor Herrity has negotiated a public/private construction plan with Clark Construction.

After years of work, we are very close!

Thanks,

Dave



CONNECTION NEWSPAPERS


Lorton’s New Land Deal


Proposal in the works to swap park and school land to pay for new middle school in Lorton.


By Amber Healy

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

A proposal is being submitted to the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors this week that may provide a plan — and funding — for a South County Middle School well before its scheduled construction on the county’s Capital Improvement Plan.


"The South County Middle School Solutions group has been working to come up with a plan that made sense, and I think we have it," said Supervisor Pat Herrity (R-Springfield).

The plan, submitted by a developer, involves a land swap, some residential development and construction of the middle school adjacent to South County Secondary School, providing the opportunity for shared athletic fields.


In the first phase of the land swap, the land currently set aside for the middle school would be sold to a developer, and about 100 houses would be built there. The money from that deal, estimated at $15-16 million, would go toward the middle school, which would be built on the land where a former Nike missile site, owned by the Fairfax County Park Authority, stands today.


The property is just north of the existing school, which would allow for the two schools to share a track and other fields.


In exchange for the Nike site, the Park Authority would receive a small parcel of land near the intersection of Furnace and Lorton Roads, currently owned by the Board of Supervisors.

If built, the school would have an entrance on Laurel Crest Lane, across from the Laurel Hill Golf Club, which would help ease traffic congestion on Silverbrook Road.


CAPACITY FOR the middle school would be about 1,250 students, slightly smaller than initial plans for the middle school but larger than the middle school capacity at South County Secondary.

On the property today are a few small, single-story buildings, which the Laurel Hill Golf Club used as storage facilities before it opened. Those buildings would most likely remain on the site, but their use has not yet been determined.

Use of that land may need Congressional approval, because it was part of the land swap approved by Congress when the Lorton Prison closed. U.S. Rep. Tom Davis (R-11) said that he has already started submitting requests to have that land opened up for development and a use other than the park land stipulated in the initial land deal in 2000.

Davis, who will leave office at the end of this year, said he wants to help however he can because it is the right thing to do, not because he wants any "legacy" projects.


"By doing a simple land swap, we will have development on the land currently designated for the middle school," said Herrity. "But, we’ll get the money we need to bridge the funding gap to build the middle school on a property adjacent to the existing school, which the School Board has said it wanted all along."


AT A MARCH 27 meeting of the Fairfax County School Board, Chief Operating Officer Dean Tistadt put the cost of a middle school at between $30 million and $40 million, if built today. If the land swap plan were approved, the $15 million from the development of new houses combined with a proposed $10 million from the Board of Supervisors would provide up to $25 million for construction of the school. Combined with $2 million set aside for planning and design of the school earlier this year, and $1.74 designated by Del. Dave Albo (R-42) and State Senator George Barker (D-39) during this year’s legislative session, the total adds up to $28.74 million.


A second land swap, which has not yet been finalized and involves the Fairfax County Park Authority and a local business, may provide an additional $10 million toward the school, which would cover construction costs.


It was another public private educational agreement, or PPEA, that provided the funding for South County Secondary School. But the deal that was originally submitted looked nothing like the plan that was eventually signed, said Fairfax County Executive Tony Griffin.


That plan took 18 months to complete, he said, and there was more land available to offer as possible locations for either a school or homes at that time.


"Plus, if you build houses in that area, that only exacerbates the overcrowding situation they’re already dealing with at South County," Griffin said.

He is sympathetic to their plight, which is why Griffin suggested the School Board ask the Board of Supervisors for $10 million over the next two fiscal years. Griffin had suggested the money be used to build a wing on South County to alleviate overcrowding, but many believe that may eliminate the chances of building a middle school in the future.


Once this plan is submitted, if county staff reviews it and feels there is a legitimate proposal here, there will be a 45-day window of opportunity for other developers to submit similar plans, Griffin said.

Herrity, along with members of the School Board, are optimistic about the proposal.


"Building a middle school is the only answer, nothing else," Herrity said. "It has been a priority for me and I feel if we can put our shoulders to the wheel, we can get this done."

SCHOOL BOARD Chairman Dan Storck (Mount Vernon) said the plan is up for discussion, but hopes it will be approved.

"There are lots of options available to the county and the South County community for what might be available for exchange," Storck said. "I think if we see a good opportunity for both the Park Authority and Fairfax County Public Schools to exchange land that provides us with a way to move the school forward and co-locate facilities, it’s one we should pursue."

Storck said he is optimistic about the plan, but the decision to pursue it is up to the Board of Supervisors.

At least two Supervisors support the plan, including Herrity and Supervisor Gerry Hyland (D-Mount Vernon), who has long said he will only accept a middle school as the solution to South County’s overcrowding.

"The proposal presents significant challenges, but it speaks for itself," Hyland said. "It requires a swap of land, a change is the land not designated for a middle school and to do something completely different, and to transfer it would provide a developer with an opportunity to build some residences."


Hyland said that while he cannot speak for the entire Board of Supervisors or School Board, he is hopeful the plan will be at least accepted for discussion.


School Board member Elizabeth "Liz" Bradsher (Springfield) said this plan may be more difficult to negotiate because less free land is available for other options, but she remains confident a middle school is the best answer, both for South County and the surrounding area.

"It’s definitely a plan that should be considered," she said. "The challenges are not insurmountable, but it depends on the amount of effort the county and the School Board want to put in to make it happen."

Tistadt, who has long said the South County area does not have the enrollment numbers now to support a middle school, said he supports the plan, so when the numbers are there, it will be easier to start building the school faster.


"I’m intrigued by the plan because if we can do it, it will allow us to share fields between the schools," Tistadt said. "If the Park Authority is willing to do it, I’m willing to do it."

However, Tistadt does not think the school needs to be built right away, and that a wing may still be the best way to ease overcrowding at South County in the immediate future.


"All these PPEAs have lots of people putting chips into play but us," he said. "It requires the Board of Supervisors and the Park Authority to make deals with benefits going to the School Board and that’s fine, if they’re willing to do that, God bless them and we’ll take it."

South County residents should take one sigh of relief about their current educational situation, however. In a memo sent to the School Board on Friday, Superintendent Dr. Jack Dale said he did not feel a boundary study should be conducted this fall.


"With or without funding for a wing, we don’t think a boundary study is the way to go because we’re nervous about the enrollment numbers at Lake Braddock," Tistadt said. "We’ve seen the numbers go up there this year and we’re expected to see another increase next year, which makes it increasingly unlikely we’ll do another study this fall."

Search Is On For Money To Build Middle School

By Michael Alison Chandler

Washington Post Staff Writer


Thursday, June 26, 2008; Page VA01





The Fairfax County School Board's decision last week to pursue construction of a middle school in Lorton rather than a less costly addition to ease crowding at South County Secondary School leaves open the question of how the new building will be funded.


The school system's construction plan does not include funding for a middle school in south county until 2017, and the district's chief operating officer, Dean Tistadt, had advised that an addition to the school would be sufficient. But the board's 8 to 4 vote early Friday morning reflected the view that the area needs a separate school much sooner.


"There are still many steps to go, but the most important one has been made: The School Board has committed to build the middle school by 2012," said board Chairman Daniel G. Storck, whose Mount Vernon district includes South County Secondary.


Circumventing the school system's priority list for funding is not unprecedented, but it is politically challenging in a 165,700-student school system with many competing needs.


Stuart D. Gibson (Hunter Mill), who voted against the middle school, said that school construction is a "zero-sum game." He said: "Every dollar that goes to a south county middle school is a dollar that will not go" to renovate or build another school.





The board is seeking a plan that would have the least effect on other schools. For example, the board's motion specifies that the new middle school, which Tistadt said could cost up to $50 million, cannot displace any projects already funded through voter-approved bonds.


The board's vote was a victory for many community activists and political officials in southern Fairfax who have lobbied for a middle school since 2005, when the secondary school opened near capacity. From then on, the school has only grown. The School Board moved some students out later, but enrollment for the 2007-08 school year was nearly 3,000 students in a building designed for 2,500.


The middle school project garnered attention from many public officials, including the county Board of Supervisors, which unanimously approved $10 million over two years in additional funding to construct a separate in southern Fairfax. The School Board also set aside $2 million this year for the middle school in its construction budget.


To build on that sum, school officials are considering a loan with deferred payments or private funding. One developer has submitted a proposal that would offset costs for the school in exchange for land to develop. Another proposal is forthcoming, school officials said.


The school system owns 35 acres near the secondary school that have been designated for a middle school. Some scenarios include swapping the property with the Fairfax County Park Authority, which owns land right next to South County Secondary. Such an exchange could lower the price tag of construction, because the schools could share athletic fields or other facilities.


The board's motion authorized planning officials next year to move up the middle school in the construction plan and to document which projects would be displaced or delayed as a result. The plan is reviewed on a regular basis to reflect changing needs.


Community members concerned about the condition of their schools will be following the process closely.


Linda MacKinnon, a Springfield mother of three, has been lobbying for renovations at West Springfield High School that many parents say are long overdue. She said that building a middle school in south county is "fiscally irresponsible" because crowding could have been addressed by drawing new boundaries, a premise echoed by some School Board members.


But many residents in southern Fairfax County maintain that the school system has responded far too slowly to the population boom that followed the closing of prison facilities in Lorton and development of the surrounding area. Staff projections repeatedly underestimated the number of new students in the region.


Storck said the staff's current projections failed to consider growth likely to result from plans to realign the region's military bases. Those plans could bring a wave of students to neighborhoods around Fort Belvoir.


Efforts to accelerate construction of the middle school are following a precedent set by South County Secondary, which was supposed to open later than it did. Community activists and some public officials recognized the demand for the school and secured private funding to help open it sooner.


Christine Morin, co-chairman of a group that has advocated for the middle school, said she was thrilled to see that the School Board understands that south county "is a growing and new community that needs a community school."







Victory!!! The Fairfax School Board votes to build our South County Middle School. Click here for a video of Dave Albo’s speech on the floor of the House of Delegates.
































Good news e-mail from the President of South County Middle School, NOW!!!





Hello Everyone,





As we shared last week, the School Board voted 8-4 to build a South County Middle School to open by 2012 – no boundary study, no wing. The motion is at the end of this email. As Dr. Raney so eloquently stated, "there is a shared vision for the community and this school." Although we recognize that there is more work to do, we have several partners who helped us realize this goal. I encourage everyone to please take a moment and thank them for all their support.





First, our biggest advocates, our local School Board Members who have worked tirelessly, attended hundreds of meetings and have never been willing to give up. Chairman Dan Storck (daniel.storck@fcps.edu) has been a phenomenal leader for our community and last week his impassioned statements about our community history and the need for this school were poignant and outstanding.





Mrs. Liz Bradsher (Elizabeth.Bradsher@fcps.edu) has been an advocate for children for over a decade and she has been working for our community since day one on the School Board. She has proven herself a very effective leader on the Board and we’re so lucky to have her.





There are also six other School Board members who understand the need for this school and were willing to lead this effort and vote for a South County Middle School – Mr. Brad Center, Mrs. Tina Hone, Mrs. Kaye Kory, Mr. Ilryong Moon, Mr. Phil Niedzielski-Eichner, and Dr. Jim Raney (brad.center@fcps.edu, Martina.Hone@fcps.edu, Kaye.Kory@fcps.edu, ilryong.moon@fcps.edu, pneichner@fcps.edu, james.raney@fcps.edu).





Chairman Gerry Connolly (chairman@fairfaxcounty.gov) understood the need for this school and at our rally indicated, "The county as a whole needs to make this a priority by coming to the understanding that it is important to make this investment in the fastest growing area of the county, which also feels the great impacts of BRAC.†He listened to our community and led the Board to unanimously allocate $10 million to a middle school.





Supervisor Gerry Hyland (MtVernon@fairfaxcounty.gov) has been with us every step of the way and has been willing to look at creative ways to help get the middle school built. He has persevered and has truly listened to our community.





Supervisor Pat Herrity (Springfield@fairfaxcounty.gov) joined our cause last summer and has been a key proponent who has set up meetings with decision makers. He rolled up his sleeves from the very beginning and has worked hard to make this a reality.





Delegate Dave Albo (DelDAlbo@house.state.va.us) has been with us since day one and has provided us with leadership, guidance, and a sense of humor when we thought this was impossible. He was instrumental in working with Senator Barker to find state funding for the school.





Senator George Barker (senatorbarker@gmail.com) also joined our group last year and eagerly listened to the community and quickly understood the need for the school, and has been willing to assist in many ways. His bi-partisan effort with Delegate Albo was key.





And finally, Congressman Tom Davis (http://tomdavis.house.gov/davis_contents/center/feedback/),


who started this whole process and has been instrumental since the land transfer and has been a vocal leader for a stand alone middle school. Please read his strong letter of support to the School Board where he indicates “I stand ready to assist in any way possible to see the long-sought South County Middle School become a reality.â€





This is a very exciting time for our community and we are very fortunate to have so many effective and engaged leaders. Please take a moment and thank all our leaders for their tireless efforts.





Thank you - Christine



The following School Board motion passed 8-4 (Ms. Bradsher, Mr. Center, Ms. Hone, Mrs.
Kory, Mr. Moon, Mr. Niedzielski-Eichner, Mr. Raney, and Mr. Storck voted "aye"; Mr. Gibson,
Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Strauss, and Mrs. Wilson voted "nay"): that the School Board accept the
Fairfax County capital funding in the amount of $5 million in FY 2009 and $5 million in FY 2010 approved by the Board of Supervisors for the purpose of building a middle school in the South County area; further direct the Superintendent to immediately enter into discussions with
Fairfax County and the Fairfax County Park Authority for the purpose of exchanging the
existing County-designated “middle school property†for other County or Park Authority owned
property in order to take advantage of time sensitive Public-Private Education Facilities and
Infrastructure Act (PPEA) opportunities and/or acquire the existing “Nike Adaptive Reuse areaâ€
site adjacent to the existing South County Secondary School site as the new site for a middle
school; and further direct the Superintendent to work with the County to utilize these funds and
the previously approved $2 million and such other additional new funding that may become
available to leverage the additional funding or financing necessary to execute a contract for the
construction of a South County middle school to be completed before 2012 that does not
displace any other project currently funded for planning or construction by the Capital
Improvement Program; the construction of the middle school will not be financed through the
use of any funding mechanism that will require the use of School Board operating funds to pay
interest on anticipated bond funding; direct the Superintendent, when preparing the CIP for FY
2010-2014, to advance the construction of a south county middle school to no later than FY
2014, and report to the Board in a separate document or exhibit to the CIP which school
projects will be displaced or delayed as a result, and the expected change in the timing of
those projects.


OK...hats off to ANYONE who took the time to read all this.

Now the truth:

1. South County High School was built with taxpayer money. We sold taxpayer owned land and we issued an EDA Bond.

2. BRAC is a bunch of hooey. Email Don Carr with The Department of Army if you don't believe me. The ARMY (who knows a hell of a lot more that these idiots) is estimating MAYBE an increase of 100 kids to FCPS-at one point the number was 35. SOCO does not deserve a special bill passed to steal $1.7 million in state school construction funds nor did they deserve to STEAL the $3 million BRAC planning money in the 2007 bond referendum. THEY ARE LIARS AND THIEVES.

3. Poor planning (see post above) caused this school to be overcrowded on day one. The Whities in LORTON didn't want to go to Lee, Hayfield or Mt Vernon with the Blacks and Mexicans. PERIOD, EXCLAMATION POINT.

4. Even Tistadt, who is an idiot and a liar most of the time, said we didn't need this school. THE CAPACITY DEMAND DOES NOT EXIST.

5. So The BOS offers $10 million to build SOCO MS. Where is it? Someone show me where this money has ever been transferred to FCPS. The deal was that FCPS could have it if they needed it. Guess what? They never asked for it.

6. Of course, SOCO Middle School jumped ahead of other projects. Are you stupid? It is being built now with US DOLLARS BORROWED BY FAIRFAX COUNTY TAXPAYERS. READ THE 2009 BOND REFERENDUM. SEE $50 MILLION next to SOCO MS.

These politicians are all liars and every community waiting for renovation dollars is a SUCKER.

Hayfield Secondary School

7630 Telegraph Road

Alexandria, VA 22315



Office of the Principal


December 14, 2007



To: VHSL R&R Committee



Hayfield Secondary School is requesting a modification to the R&R plan sent to the November 19, 2007, VHSL R&R meeting. Hayfield is making the request to move to the National District for the 2009 – 2010 and 2010 – 2011 school years.



At the December 12, 2007, Northern Region Council meeting, several votes were taken regarding this proposed modification. The results of the votes were: The Patriot District voted unanimously to support Hayfield’s request for modification. The National District voted 4-3 against the modification, (Wakefield, Yorktown, Washington & Lee, and Falls Church against and Edison, Mt. Vernon, and Stuart in support). The Northern Region overwhelmingly supported the modification with a vote of 25 in favor, 4 opposed, and 1 abstention.



The rationale for the R&R modification to move Hayfield to the National District must start with the recent history. In 2004, the boundary studies done by Fairfax County Public Schools for the opening of the new South County High School estimated the net loss of students to Hayfield would be around 350 and indicated Hayfield would be picking up students from Lee High School and Edison High School. In reality, Hayfield lost over 1000 high school students, 40% of our population and close to 65% of our athletes. If Hayfield would have had accurate numbers, we would have requested a move to the National District during the last R&R cycle. For the last two years, we have been the second smallest school in FCPS. Our current enrollment of 1582 places us in the middle in terms of student population, for the National District. It is where we, and others, feel we belong.



As part of the United States Department of Defense BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) recommendations, it was initially forecasted a large number of defense-related jobs would be moving to areas surrounding Hayfield Secondary School, thereby potentially increasing enrollment at the school. Over the past few months, these projections have been severely cut and new estimates are nowhere near the original calculation. It is now projected that Hayfield might grow in the range of 100 – 200 students over the next several years and then level off. Even with an optimistic increase of 200 students, our population still would place us in the middle of the National District in terms of school enrollment.



Hayfield knows that every school administrator needs to do what is right for their school, but we also have an obligation to see the big picture and do what is right for the region and do what is appropriate for students. Therefore, we are requesting that Hayfield be allowed to participate on what we believe to be a more level playing field.



In terms of finance, we feel Hayfield in the National District could help alleviate some of the financial burden of the National District to the Northern Region. With three Fairfax schools in close geographical proximity, we fully expect tournament revenues to increase.



With regards to travel, Hayfield usually scrimmages, or plays during the regular season, many of the Arlington schools. In reality, it is usually only once a season for most of the teams and for some teams, only once every other year. Our addition to the National District does not lengthen travel times for any National District school.



We feel that any other school in our situation would be make the same appeal and we feel strongly that what we are asking is in the best interest of the students. We ask for the utmost consideration of our modification to the R&R plan.


Sincerely,


William L. Oehrlein, Ph.D.

Principal


HAYFIELD was obliterated. Good job Brad Center!

I just read the email exchanges between Bradsher and others, including her email to Paul Wardinski. I find it unconscionable that Bradsher would use the phrase "Sophie's Choice" to describe her decision of choosing between Clifton and WSHS. I hope Mr. Wardinski was offended as much as I am.

From: Bradsher, Elizabeth (School Board Member) [ETBradsher@fcps.edu]
To: Wardinski, Paul A.
CC:
BCC:
Sent: 6/4/2010 11:45:40 AM
Subject: FW: Clifton Elementary School

Attachments:


Just some interesting reading. Such is my “Sophie’s Choice.â€



Elizabeth T. Bradsher

I really hate being part of the same county as these slime-balls in South County (Bradsher, Albo, etc.). Could we let Prince William have them? Liz can bring the booze for the annexation party.

To Non-SOCO Hang in there....I can see 2011. Vote out Bradsher and her little team of supporters....Gibson, Wilson, and Smith. Unfortunately, they could do a lot more damage before their term is up.

cha-ching
Attachments:

Yup, still waitin' for that amendment, Lizzy B.
Attachments:

As much as agree that most of the SB should be voted out I can asure everyone that if we don't do something more than complain on a blog Liz will be voted in again. Most voters pay little attention to SB matters and just vote party line or name recognition when it come to SB candidates. We must have an active campaign..and a decent candidate.

War chesta have been built and qualified and ethical folks are ready to take over this school district.

We will suffer no more.

It is very unlikely that Wardinski was offended by anything Bradsher or any of the FCPS Admin might say, since he is totally self absorbed, self promoting, and spinless.

Raising questions Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I just read the email exchanges between Bradsher
> and others, including her email to Paul Wardinski.
> I find it unconscionable that Bradsher would use
> the phrase "Sophie's Choice" to describe her
> decision of choosing between Clifton and WSHS. I
> hope Mr. Wardinski was offended as much as I am.
>
>
> From: Bradsher, Elizabeth (School Board Member)
> To: Wardinski, Paul A.
> CC:
> BCC:
> Sent: 6/4/2010 11:45:40 AM
> Subject: FW: Clifton Elementary School
>
> Attachments:
>
>
> Just some interesting reading. Such is my
> “Sophie’s Choice.â€
>
>
>
> Elizabeth T. Bradsher

"Sophie's Choice" had to do with a woman in a Nazi concentration camp who was forced by the Nazis to decide which of her children was to be sent to the gas chamber. The decision ended up tormenting her for the rest of her life. I hardly think Liz's decision was anything close to that. She is delusional.

From another source about this issue, apparently Bradsher did not want to add "and members of the public" to the Superintendent & colleagues on Board as those they are supposed to not 'disparage' - see below, she apparently argued against it. So, she wants to be able to disparage members of the public? Yes, we know - the bedtime reading is only for those who enjoy the horror genre:

http://www.novacommonsense.com/2011/01/08/ncs-breaking-fairfax-county-school-board-being-sued-for-violating-virginia-law/

"Disparaged says:
January 12, 2011 at 4:45 PM
Apparently, the ‘sb’ [good point, Eugene27] discussed changing their Code of Conduct this week.

The phrase “and members of the public†was proposed as an addition to the Superintendent and peer ‘sb’members as the list of those whom the sb members should not “disparageâ€.

It is no shock that reportedly Bradsher was the ONLY ONE TO DISSENT and argue against the language. She supposedly inquired what is the “reasonable intrpretation of disparageâ€. With a wall of resistance from the rest of the sb, [including a zinger from Tina Hone “disparage is like obscenity; you know it when you see itâ€]it seems she was embarrassed into a half-hearted vote for the language change or face being further villified for an 11-1 vote to ‘disparage members of the public’.

Can you believe the absurdity?"

Kathy is the Chair, Liz's Region - both complicit with FCPS in this close Clifton and boundary study fiasco.

It's easy to 'draw conclusions'.
Attachments:

How do you do that?

Now draw one of The Hindenburg with Bradsher as pilot and Smith, Tessie and Stu on board.

Throw in Albo and Frey as well.

Nobody in this travesty will be spared political.

It will be painfully obvious what the price is for aligning oneself with Liz.

Lied - Lied - Lied

Counting votes on one hand - Lying on the other

BRADSHER is nothing more than a crooked politician.

Leave UMES alone! Give Clifton back their school - NOW. The vote has NO validity.
Attachments:

The following School Board motion passed 8-4 (Ms. Bradsher, Mr. Center, Ms. Hone, Mrs.
Kory, Mr. Moon, Mr. Niedzielski-Eichner, Mr. Raney, and Mr. Storck voted "aye"; Mr. Gibson,
Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Strauss, and Mrs. Wilson voted "nay"): that the School Board accept the
Fairfax County capital funding in the amount of $5 million in FY 2009 and $5 million in FY 2010 approved by the Board of Supervisors for the purpose of building a middle school in the South County area; further direct the Superintendent to immediately enter into discussions with
Fairfax County and the Fairfax County Park Authority for the purpose of exchanging the
existing County-designated “middle school property†for other County or Park Authority owned
property in order to take advantage of time sensitive Public-Private Education Facilities and
Infrastructure Act (PPEA) opportunities and/or acquire the existing “Nike Adaptive Reuse areaâ€
site adjacent to the existing South County Secondary School site as the new site for a middle
school; and further direct the Superintendent to work with the County to utilize these funds and
the previously approved $2 million and such other additional new funding that may become
available to leverage the additional funding or financing necessary to execute

*******************************************************************************

a contract for the
construction of a South County middle school to be completed before 2012 that does not
displace any other project currently funded for planning or construction by the Capital
Improvement Program; the construction of the middle school will not be financed through the
use of any funding mechanism that will require the use of School Board operating funds to pay
interest on anticipated bond funding;

********************************************************************************

direct the Superintendent, when preparing the CIP for FY
2010-2014, to advance the construction of a south county middle school to no later than FY
2014, and report to the Board in a separate document or exhibit to the CIP which school
projects will be displaced or delayed as a result, and the expected change in the timing of
those projects.


1. How does taking $20 million from the 2010-11 borrowing not displace other schools?

2. How does one borrow $20 million and not pay any interest on the money?

Let me sum up:
Attachments:

I love these cartoons! Keep em coming!

Kathy said:

I got it and didn't even read before recycling - why in the world would he insert himself so strongly into the issue?. My take on this is that the only people who care/are upset are Clifton parents (they sound very entitled) and the rest of your constituency either doesn't give a damn or applauds the belt tightening.

********************************************************************************

Belt tightening? What a fabulous idea!

Let's start with killing that stupid language immersion program you have been protecting all these years.

37 schools don't have all day kindergarten, but your schools learn Chinese in 3rd grade? Give me a break, lady!

You invented the word entitled with your continue defense of this program.

LETS KILL FLES immediately!

No more cow towing to entitled parents.

I agree about FLES. I know that compared to other programs, it is peanuts, but the money would be better spent to add a classroom teacher to each school.

This is Kathy's pet project. I agree that it is "nice to have", but it is a luxury-not a necessity. Especially, when you consider that the classes already include students who speak English as a second language.

Their argument is that it is easier to learn a language when you are a child. I agree--but you are not going to learn it froma teacher who comes in 20 (?) minutes, twice a week. (Trust me, I speak from experience on this.) Not only that, but, say your school has Chinese. Chances are the middle school does not. The high school does not. IT MAKES NO SENSE to have this program when money is so tight.

When it was suggested that the SB cancel it, Obama had just come out and said how important it is that our kids learn other languages. I don't disagree with that, but they need to learn to read and write and do arithmetic first. Kathy is a huge Democrat and I think she brought Obama's comments up at the Board meeting. This program should be cut ASAP!

The SB is scared stiff of suggesting any cuts this year---notice? Heaven forbid that they get the electorate debating this stuff again. The electorate might notice how much is being spent to get those trailers and bus those kids out of Clifton. They might notice a few other things too. In fact, they might demand a full accounting of the system's expenditures (what the SB really ought to be doing, but won't do). They can't let the peasantry who pays taxes know what is going on.

When I lived in upstate NY, the school district was required to put out a mailing to every household which detailed the expenditures for the schools and how much the property mil rate would be. Then the electorate got to vote on the school budget. Believe me, the school board was much more accountable to the people that way. It wasn't ever voted down when I lived there---mainly because they had to show the results that we were getting for our money. They had great teachers and it was hard to get a teaching job there. They didn't want it to be voted down and have to go back and "redo" it. They were very picky about who they hired and they produced results that were very good.

transparency needed Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The SB is scared stiff of suggesting any cuts this
> year---notice? Heaven forbid that they get the
> electorate debating this stuff again. The
> electorate might notice how much is being spent to
> get those trailers and bus those kids out of
> Clifton. They might notice a few other things
> too. In fact, they might demand a full accounting
> of the system's expenditures (what the SB really
> ought to be doing, but won't do). They can't let
> the peasantry who pays taxes know what is going
> on.
>
> When I lived in upstate NY, the school district
> was required to put out a mailing to every
> household which detailed the expenditures for the
> schools and how much the property mil rate would
> be. Then the electorate got to vote on the school
> budget. Believe me, the school board was much
> more accountable to the people that way. It
> wasn't ever voted down when I lived there---mainly
> because they had to show the results that we were
> getting for our money. They had great teachers
> and it was hard to get a teaching job there. They
> didn't want it to be voted down and have to go
> back and "redo" it. They were very picky about
> who they hired and they produced results that were
> very good.


I agree. Unfortunately, FCPS school board LOVES to play these ridiculous games with schools and students.

What SOAR really means Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just ask little greedy Erik Hawkins what SOAR
> actually stands for:
>
>
> S Screw
> O Others
> A Awaiting
> R Renovations
>
>
> Let's make a game out of this shall we......who
> can come up with a better one?


SOAR

S Scream!
O OH!
A Abolish Clifton!
R Renovate Us!

transparency needed Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The SB is scared stiff of suggesting any cuts this
> year---notice? Heaven forbid that they get the
> electorate debating this stuff again. The
> electorate might notice how much is being spent to
> get those trailers and bus those kids out of
> Clifton. They might notice a few other things
> too. In fact, they might demand a full accounting
> of the system's expenditures (what the SB really
> ought to be doing, but won't do). They can't let
> the peasantry who pays taxes know what is going
> on.
>
> When I lived in upstate NY, the school district
> was required to put out a mailing to every
> household which detailed the expenditures for the
> schools and how much the property mil rate would
> be. Then the electorate got to vote on the school
> budget. Believe me, the school board was much
> more accountable to the people that way. It
> wasn't ever voted down when I lived there---mainly
> because they had to show the results that we were
> getting for our money. They had great teachers
> and it was hard to get a teaching job there. They
> didn't want it to be voted down and have to go
> back and "redo" it. They were very picky about
> who they hired and they produced results that were
> very good.


People are very concerned whether trailer kids mix with luxury home kids - whether townhouse kids receive the same treatment as single family kids - whether the value of their homes, whatever kind of home, will be affected by the largest boundary change we have ever seen in the county.

The fact that the FCPS SB bonds and

>>>spends Millions of taxpayer dollars to just MOVE trailers<<<

[enough with 'Learning Cottages' - that is political correctness to the extreme lunacy] should be beyond disgusted.

We are trailering kids and teachers. What is wrong with us? When will everyone say 'no' to FCPS and this idiocy?
Attachments:

That Bob Larsen character from the first page of emails between him and that beautiful Liz Bradsher

http://www.robrobertory.com/
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rob-robertory/4/921/a81
http://www.google.com/search?aq=f&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=Rob+Robertory

Seems like he is very much into the life insurance game of scamming the ignorant `wealthy'

Just how far does the rabbit hole go?

From Liz's "What I'm reading" list of books on her nightstand:
Attachments:

Well, well, well......looks like WSHS and Erik Hawkins played right into Liz's hands, or maybe I should say Liz had them 'eating out of her hands, just like Clifton'. What happened to WSHS getting 2011 Liz? Hmmmm?

More collusion to get what she wanted - Clifton closed. SOAR was a convenient group for Liz to use for her advantage. I actually feel sorry for WSHS. Just another victim of Liz Bradsher's deception. She is a disgrace.
Attachments:

I wouldn't count WSHS out from getting renovation money yet, Bradsher hasn't finished her game, and it hasn't been voted on. Don't you remember, the SB can do what it wants?

lim Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That Bob Larsen character from the first page of
> emails between him and that beautiful Liz
> Bradsher
>
> http://www.robrobertory.com/
> http://www.linkedin.com/pub/rob-robertory/4/921/a8
> 1
> http://www.google.com/search?aq=f&sourceid=chrome&;
> ie=UTF-8&q=Rob+Robertory
>
> Seems like he is very much into the life insurance
> game of scamming the ignorant `wealthy'
>
> Just how far does the rabbit hole go?



Sadly, pretty far - so, how unethical was it for this guy to sell out a client's plea for help and instead turn on Clifton with Bradsher?
Attachments:

Let me summarize:

For months now, the Clifton community has been told by numerous board members that money is tight and they just don't have it to renovate their school, right?

Hasn't that been the party line?

Now, we have a meeting scheduled to vote on advancing 10 projects due to a drop in construction prices.

Construction prices dropped 2 1/2 years ago!

We are now just figuring this out and need to vote on it.

Good god, how stupid are these people?

These 10 schools were scheduled to be renovated in fiscal years 2013-15 and are pushed up now.

It will cost nearly $210 million to renovate these 10 schools.

Is this money coming from the "savings" from Clifton.

This School Board is rolling the dice that they can spend money that the taxpayer hasn't even approved yet.

Pretty cocky of them.

Don't count on that bond approval from the Clifton group. Wait till they spread the word how you mismanage the CIP money and lie to the public.

Amen-

I think a FULL PAGE AD in The POST only runs about $10,000.

Clifton should pass the collection plate and run the ad on the Sunday before election day.

HEADLINE: DON'T APPROVE ANY MORE BOND MONEY FOR FCPS!

How fun would that be?

I'll throw in $1000.

from agenda for Jan 20 SB meeting.
Movement of trailers is expected to be in excess of 250,000. How much in excess?????Note that it has never before exceeded 250,000.




Staff Contact: Dean A. Tistadt, chief operating officer, Facilities and Transportation Services



Meeting Category: January 20, 2011 - Regular Meeting, No. 12



Subject: Award of Contract – Annual Contract Relocation of Trailers Disassembling, Transporting and Assembling of Temporary Buildings (Trailers)



School Board Action Required: Decision



Related To: School Board Policy 5011, Authority to Contract



Key Points:



Funding for these projects will be provided from either operating funds or bond funds depending on the type of work performed (assembling, moving, and disassembling).



FCPS has a need to have contractors move and set up trailers due to enrollment changes or renovation projects. On November 17, 2010, IFB11-020 opened for the Annual Contract for the Relocation of Trailers—Dissembling, Transporting, and Assembling of Temporary Buildings (Trailers).



In previous years, contracts were awarded to multiple contractors, but the dollar value of the contract never exceeded $250,000. However, due to enrollment changes, as well as the acceleration of capital projects, the contract value may exceed $250,000.



To handle the volume of assembling, moving, and disassembling trailers, it is in the best interest of FCPS to engage multiple contractors as opposed to awarding a contract to one bidder. In addition, awarding to multiple contractors provides FCPS the opportunity to take advantage of the lowest price in each relocation category: assembling, moving, and disassembling.



The contract period is date of award through December 31, 2011, with two (2) renewal options.



Contractor


Requirement



Shenandoah Utility Services, Inc.,
Disassemble

Transport

Assemble



Serendipity Landscaping
Disassemble

Assemble



IDI Company
Disassemble

Assemble



T. L. Walker Contracting & Electric, LLC
Disassemble

Assemble

































Recommendation:



That the School Board authorize staff to award multiple contracts for the Relocation of Trailers--Disassembling, Transporting and Assembling of Temporary Buildings (Trailers), and to authorize the Division Superintendent, or his designee, to execute the contract on behalf of the School Board

$250,000 is chump change.

They spent $10,000,000 on trailer RELOCATIONS last year.

REPEAT:

TRAILER RELOCATIONS.

Not purchases, just moving them from school A to school B.

It's called POOR PLANNING.

100 kids just don't show up on September 1st. The trend is usually gradual. FCPS actually brags that they are within 99% of accuracy in projecting enrollments.

Why then are we spending a king's ransom on moving these god awful things from point A to point B?

Does anyone know what the bleepity bleep is going on??

Do school board members own contracting companies?

$10,000,000! REally???? Where is that documented? There is seriously something wrong here. Maybe that's the thread with the answers.......

Does anyone besides the school board audit or verify this work? Someone needs to do a "walk through" on this.....

contractors? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Do school board members own contracting
> companies?
>
> $10,000,000! REally???? Where is that documented?
> There is seriously something wrong here. Maybe
> that's the thread with the answers.......
Attachments:

"What, us provide information? Surely, you can't be serious?!"
Attachments:

hopefully the judge will agree on Tuesday, and side with clifton parents

Construction
Budget $ 575.2 $ 163.1 $ (412.2)
Positions 87.3 87.3


FCPS has 87.5 people employed in construction!!!!No wonder Tisdadt wants to keep schools moving.....he'd have to fire most of his staff!!

Drawing conclusions:
Attachments:

Everyone in Clifton loves your work. BTW: We are just like you! We only want the best for ALL the kids in Fairfax, not just our own.

Ah - if only.
Attachments:

How is your money working for you? Want mine back - you?
Attachments:

This information on the SW boundary being put up in an obscure place on the FCPS website is interesting. Is that how they say that they "inform" the public?

The lawsuit against them right now (Clifton) basically has to do with not making information public. At the very least, the judge needs to make them have new guidelines on this type of thing. In the case of the SW boundary study, the SB should be required to send out mailings to every household affected. The mailings should be required to state the options and/or choices to be voted on and the places/times of the public meetings. The public is not aware because the SB does not do its job of informing them. It is incumbent upon the FCPS that they do their utmost to inform the taxpayers.

Does anyone have the FCPS reply to the FOIA lawsuit by the Clifton parents?

The local judges hate these cases as they just don't want to get involved in local politics.

The FOIA lawsuit, however, is all about process, not the end result. The judge could rule in favor of the plaintiff and the remedy would just be that FCPS needs to release some more e-mails and schedule another meeting to close Clifton with all the Blackberries turned off.

MORE TO COME
Attachments:

Link for their case
See attached Press Release and Click for: Lawsuit (Verified Petition for Writ of Mandamus)


MORE TO COME
Attachments:

http://www.friendsofcommunityschools.org/2011-0107_Verified_Petition_for_Writ_of_Mandamus___Exhibits.pdf

FCPS' case
Attachments:

Legal Eagle Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> The local judges hate these cases as they just
> don't want to get involved in local politics.

Many of us Fairfax taxpayers also hate them, especially since they're frivolous and will cost us more in taxes.

There are large groups of us silently hoping your kids are split into 33 different elementary schools for all the trouble and complaining that you've done.

And no, I'm not Liz, or a big fan of the FCPS Board, but dislike this BS even more than them.

Please feel free to continue on here, with your mindless drivel of disjointed emails that make little sense.

and splitting their kids to "33" different schools lowers your taxes, saves you money or is the right thing to do how?

even if you are feeling vindictive because any one group claims wrongdoing by a government body, how does a vast dispersal of children meet your hateful need for vindication?

your logic fails. but if your supporting fcps' actions against citizens over the last several years, that's about par for the course.

the sb lobbying us to raise taxes to fill their coffers should be of concern to you - not taking out your frustrations on vengeful wishes for children.

The local judges hate these cases as they just
> don't want to get involved in local politics.

Many of us Fairfax taxpayers also hate them, especially since they're frivolous and will cost us more in taxes.


Yes, sometimes the business of politics and government is "messy" and people don't want to get involved. However, where would be without citizens watching and getting involved in the process? I think we know where that leads.

I believe these are tax dollars well spent if they keep the process transparent and democratic. Democracy is not always "cheap", but it's worth having.

FFX taxpayer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Legal Eagle Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >
> > The local judges hate these cases as they just
> > don't want to get involved in local politics.
>
> Many of us Fairfax taxpayers also hate them,
> especially since they're frivolous and will cost
> us more in taxes.
>
> There are large groups of us silently hoping your
> kids are split into 33 different elementary
> schools for all the trouble and complaining that
> you've done.
>
> And no, I'm not Liz, or a big fan of the FCPS
> Board, but dislike this BS even more than them.
>
> Please feel free to continue on here, with your
> mindless drivel of disjointed emails that make
> little sense.


Let me guess, your kids' school is not affected at all. How easy of you to judge.

Ask yourself, how would I feel if the FCPS Board announced that my kids' school was closing? How would I react, and how would I fight it?
Now, imagine that your own school board rep, while publicly working with your community leaders, was actually working behind your backs to get the school closed so that she could use the money for another school.

Document Jockey, thanks for posting the links. Politics aside and nasty comments about spreading kids around...seems like the School Board colluded and had meetings out of the public view. This should matter to all of us because our elected officals are acting like mobsters. They way they talk to each other and about each other (Poor Tina Hone) is shameful. What disgusts me the most is the mocking disdain for any one you disagrees with them. I don't live in the Southwestern area, but these are still my board representatives and their actions are appalling.

FOIA Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Document Jockey, thanks for posting the links.
> Politics aside and nasty comments about spreading
> kids around...seems like the School Board colluded
> and had meetings out of the public view. This
> should matter to all of us because our elected
> officals are acting like mobsters. They way they
> talk to each other and about each other (Poor Tina
> Hone) is shameful. What disgusts me the most is
> the mocking disdain for any one you disagrees with
> them. I don't live in the Southwestern area, but
> these are still my board representatives and their
> actions are appalling.

Ditto. Thanks for posting the links. I don't know state law well enough to know whether the FOIA/Open Meeting lawsuit really has any legs (certainly the School Board's response was quite dismissive), but that doesn't mean that School Board members like Liz Bradsher and Tessie Wilson haven't proven themselves to be complete jackasses.

I am hoping you aren't a product of FCPS yourself, as you clearly are missing the grasp of the fundamental principles at stake.

This trouble or complaining you characterize was viewed slightly differently - not by Clifton parents but someone else you may recognize.
Attachments:

say it - you know you want to.
Attachments:

I know, I know, as a taxpayer, I am ultimately paying FCPS's legal fees but I don't care.

Dale and company's behavior has been so horrible that if I were a BOS member I would make Dale eat these fees out of his budget for his office.

I would give them a level transfer from last fiscal year and subtract these legal fees and demand that they come from his office.

This whole nightmare should never have happened. Bad governance.

Please note that the legal fees for FCPS in FY 2011 are estimated at 6,579,431. FY2010 was 2,571,749. The request for FY 2012 is 2,512,205.........?

Other professional services for 2011 are $25,441,281. This is double what they spent in 2010 and 11 million less than the request for 2012. What are "other professional services?

This is from page 160 of the budget.

FROM ANOTHER THREAD Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Construction
> Budget $ 575.2 $ 163.1 $ (412.2)
> Positions 87.3 87.3
>
>
> FCPS has 87.5 people employed in
> construction!!!!No wonder Tisdadt wants to keep
> schools moving.....he'd have to fire most of his
> staff!!

87.5 people!!! That is enough positions to staff a school with teachers! Why is money being spent on all this Admin when it should be spent on the teachers that actually EDUCATE the children. Remember EDUCATION? That is what FCPS is SUPPOSED to be doing! Not building it's own little administrative empire! How DARE they feign they have no money for teachers!

Plus, how does this arrangement make any sense in this economy? If construction costs are so low and there are a lot of private contractors that would seriously cut costs to bid for contracts, than why isn't this function being outsourced to the private sector? Instead they are staffing THAT MANY people IN-HOUSE with salary AND BENEFITS!

Seriously . . . the FOIA lawsuit was withdrawn at the hearing today.

FAIRFAX, Va. - A lawsuit accusing the Fairfax County school board of violating the Open Meetings Act has been withdrawn. However, the issue is far from over.

The case involves last summer's controversial decision to close Clifton Elementary School.

Some of the parents had filed suit, claiming board members violated state law on open meetings by emailing each other during meetings while the issue was being discussed.

The same suit also alleged that the board violated the Freedom of Information Act by not turning over all of those emails, particularly one about the school's well water, a key element in the decision to close the school.

A judge was ready to start trial, but the parents withdrew the suit after a short hearing Tuesday morning.

The lawsuit wasn't withdrawn, all morning cases were postponed due to the weather. The hearing will be rescheduled.

It came straight from WTOP. You all better tel WTOP and other sources that are picking up the story to correct the record then.

Even indicates that it was not a weather delay. Clifton folks weren't prepared for the hearing and had to withdraw.

From FFX Station Patch:
Anyone following the Clifton School situation will have to wait another day to find out whether county school board members violated the law when they e-mailed each other during a vote to close Clifton Elementary.

A hearing today on alleged violations of open meeting law and Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by the Fairfax County School Board during the process of voting to close Clifton Elementary School last July ended in a "non-suit."

The plaintiff, Fairfax County resident Jill DeMello Hill, and her lawyers plan to re-file the suit. The non-suit occurred due to a misunderstanding in which Judge Jan L. Brodie and the lawyers for the Fairfax County School Board planned for a full three-hour hearing on the case, while the plaintiff’s lawyers were only ready for
an initial hearing on some of the issues within the case.

Straight from the press Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> It came straight from WTOP. You all better tel
> WTOP and other sources that are picking up the
> story to correct the record then.


Explanation is on the Fairfax Station Patch website. Judge and FCPS lawyers were expecting to discuss case at length. Plaintiff wasn't prepared. "There was a misunderstanding" as to what was expected today. ??????

Patton-Boggs FAIL

The school board and the FCPS blood-sucking attorneys have said F*&! you to every person who has tried to get any information. It's like a Seinfeld episode of information nazis - "no info for you; come back ONE YEAR!"

You have to ask WHY the board and their back-of-the-parade attorneys are trying so hard to hide all the crap.

From what we heard, FCPS attorneys were way up tight their little plan today didn't work.

Seems Patton-Boggs' guys one upped them by calling them out.

F'ing bloodsuckers Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The school board and the FCPS blood-sucking
> attorneys have said F*&! you to every person who
> has tried to get any information. It's like a
> Seinfeld episode of information nazis - "no info
> for you; come back ONE YEAR!"
>
> You have to ask WHY the board and their
> back-of-the-parade attorneys are trying so hard to
> hide all the crap.
>
> From what we heard, FCPS attorneys were way up
> tight their little plan today didn't work.
>
> Seems Patton-Boggs' guys one upped them by calling
> them out.


Well, if Patton Boggs did one-up them in the courtroom today, then the FCPS attorneys one-upped Patton Boggs in the court of public opinion, given that the media reports are that the County was ready to engage, and Patton Boggs (and their private party plaintiff) blinked.

So where exactly are we?

>>>As much as agree that most of the SB should be voted out I can asure everyone that if we don't do something more than complain on a blog Liz will be voted in again. Most voters pay little attention to SB matters and just vote party line or name recognition when it come to SB candidates. We must have an active campaign..and a decent candidate.<<<

Which party will endorse Liz? It will NOT be the republicans. The folks who run FCRC want NOTHING to do with her. Do the democrats want her? If not, she gets no endorsements and no party help. Her name will not appear on the endorsed list of republicans.

LowerCosts Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> FROM ANOTHER THREAD Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Construction
> > Budget $ 575.2 $ 163.1 $ (412.2)
> > Positions 87.3 87.3
> >
> >
> > FCPS has 87.5 people employed in
> > construction!!!!No wonder Tisdadt wants to keep
> > schools moving.....he'd have to fire most of
> his
> > staff!!
>
> 87.5 people!!! That is enough positions to staff
> a school with teachers! Why is money being spent
> on all this Admin when it should be spent on the
> teachers that actually EDUCATE the children.
> Remember EDUCATION? That is what FCPS is
> SUPPOSED to be doing! Not building it's own
> little administrative empire! How DARE they
> feign they have no money for teachers!
>
> Plus, how does this arrangement make any sense in
> this economy? If construction costs are so low
> and there are a lot of private contractors that
> would seriously cut costs to bid for contracts,
> than why isn't this function being outsourced to
> the private sector? Instead they are staffing
> THAT MANY people IN-HOUSE with salary AND
> BENEFITS!


Please remember that when the staff and school board tells citizens that they MUST increase class size because there is nowhere else to cut!

The EIGHT area office, each with a staff of hundreds, could all disappear tomorrow and no parent or student would notice any difference in education.

Cut administrative staff, not teachers!

Send Dale packing now.

I wish I could send my kids to private school. FCPS is a big joke.

I agree on the private school. I wish I had the money also. I am going to be saving for my granchildren to go to private school. I am trying hard to give my son the right perspective on school---that certain things are worthy of the effort to learn them---and certain other things are just so the school can "look good" and the statistics will "look good". This is really sad to have to teach to your kid---he basically knows it already---what the heck are we doing? When I was a kid, we trusted the system. Now it's completely insane. Bonkers.

He hears the teachers talking about it also.

I enjoyed teaching, but became disgusted with the politics and superficiality of the FCPS Admin. Many teachers feel the same way.

Many years ago during the era when Davis and Burkholder were the superintendents there was a sense of esprit de corps that was common in the school system, now it is very much "us against them" mentality. I think, and this merely my opinion, that central admin has become so isolated and removed from the day to day issues that teacers deal with that they,the admin, have no idea what goes on or is really needed.

I am not surprised, but certainly dismayed, by this mess. Bradsher is a politician and she is politicizing school business. The complicity of the FCPS Admin is at best disheartening.

Eff Lee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> F'ing bloodsuckers Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > The school board and the FCPS blood-sucking
> > attorneys have said F*&! you to every person
> who
> > has tried to get any information. It's like a
> > Seinfeld episode of information nazis - "no
> info
> > for you; come back ONE YEAR!"
> >
> > You have to ask WHY the board and their
> > back-of-the-parade attorneys are trying so hard
> to
> > hide all the crap.
> >
> > From what we heard, FCPS attorneys were way up
> > tight their little plan today didn't work.
> >
> > Seems Patton-Boggs' guys one upped them by
> calling
> > them out.
>
>
> Well, if Patton Boggs did one-up them in the
> courtroom today, then the FCPS attorneys one-upped
> Patton Boggs in the court of public opinion, given
> that the media reports are that the County was
> ready to engage, and Patton Boggs (and their
> private party plaintiff) blinked.
>
> So where exactly are we?

It seems like as American citizens we are all in a very sad place.

If you or I, as your average American citizen, waltzed into a courtroom and loudly declared we simply refused to supply documentation, what do you think the Judge's reaction would be?

AmericanCitizen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Eff Lee Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > F'ing bloodsuckers Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > The school board and the FCPS blood-sucking
> > > attorneys have said F*&! you to every person
> > who
> > > has tried to get any information. It's like a
> > > Seinfeld episode of information nazis - "no
> > info
> > > for you; come back ONE YEAR!"
> > >
> > > You have to ask WHY the board and their
> > > back-of-the-parade attorneys are trying so
> hard
> > to
> > > hide all the crap.
> > >
> > > From what we heard, FCPS attorneys were way
> up
> > > tight their little plan today didn't work.
> > >
> > > Seems Patton-Boggs' guys one upped them by
> > calling
> > > them out.
> >
> >
> > Well, if Patton Boggs did one-up them in the
> > courtroom today, then the FCPS attorneys
> one-upped
> > Patton Boggs in the court of public opinion,
> given
> > that the media reports are that the County was
> > ready to engage, and Patton Boggs (and their
> > private party plaintiff) blinked.
> >
> > So where exactly are we?
>



> It seems like as American citizens we are all in a
> very sad place.
>
> If you or I, as your average American citizen,
> waltzed into a courtroom and loudly declared we
> simply refused to supply documentation, what do
> you think the Judge's reaction would be?


+1

how did that happen? Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Patton-Boggs FAIL


It looks more like Patton-Boggs was more in the mood for a little Tea Party.

Fucked. Thanks Dale!

Received a boiled down explanation - so what is the likelihood that a judge assignment that was supposed to be random just happened to be the Judge that closed Graham Rd. Elementary and the judge that didn't allow parents in Ffx Cty to have standing?

The FCPS Mafioso strikes again. Patton Boggs apparently smelled them out. This is getting good!

______________________________________________

FCPS files response Friday.
Denies much. Still won’t deliver public documents.
Today, Judge walks in – same Judge that said ‘parents don’t have right to sue’ and allowed SB to close Graham Road Elementary.
How convenient.*
Hmmm.
Patton Boggs asked for discovery in opening remarks. Still missing those pesky documents.
FCPS’ attorneys said – uh, no. “We aren’t giving you anything†(…well, we know, that’s why we were there – FOIA violations, taking 4 months to respond…still not fully…to a simple request for public info).
Patton Boggs said to Judge…they already admitted FOIA violations in their response, so ok, ‘judge’ already – render a summary judgment on that today. But Open Meetings violations are rampant and we should be able to have ‘discovery’ (struggled for 4 months to get a less than complete response as it is to a FOIA request….compel them already) to give the Court ample information to judge on this count as well.
FCPS attorneys then said – uh, no. We want a full blown trial with an evidentiary hearing…NOW. Right Now. We brought witnesses.
Hmmm.
[Think *]
Fine. You want to roll that way?
Patton Boggs called ‘freeze!’ (nonsuit).
…We’ll be B—A—C—K.

The real story.

This is not Clifton.

This is not an 'interested party'.

This is not a Fairfax County resident.

The press - THE PRESS - is getting the gross level of behavior within the FCPS School Board.

Shame on you.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source URL: http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/2011/01/fairfax-school-board-do-over-needed-more-ways-one

Published on Washington Examiner (http://washingtonexaminer.com)

Home > A Fairfax school board do-over needed in more ways than one

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

By Barbara Hollingsworth
Created Jan 18 2011 - 8:05pm
A Fairfax school board do-over needed in more ways than one
Comments (0) .Virginia's Freedom of Information Act is quite clear: Except in certain limited instances, meetings of public bodies must be open to the public. The law's intent is also clear: Public officials cannot do public business in secret.
The Fairfax County School Board has been accused of multiple violations of the state's open meetings law, as well as its own strategic governance rules, according to a lawsuit filed Jan. 7 in Fairfax County Circuit Court by Patton Boggs attorney Benjamin Chew. School board members allegedly exchanged secret e-mails about matters under discussion during public meetings regarding the closure of Clifton Elementary.

One of these e-mails, dated June 15, 2010, which surfaced as a result of FOIA requests by Clifton resident Jill DeMello Hill, show school board member Liz Bradsher -- whose Springfield district includes Clifton -- brazenly coaching members of a West Springfield High School parents' group on how to advance in FCPS' renovation queue by lobbying board members to close Clifton. "If we decided to close Clifton, your bonding could be moved [up two years] to 2011," Bradsher tells members of the parents' group.

At the board's June 28 public hearing, which lasted until 1 a.m., 149 county residents passionately testified to keep their community school open even as board members were busy exchanging private e-mails.

Board member Stuart Gibson of Hunter Mill even chastised the development director of a nonprofit that runs a family shelter near the school, warning her that it was "highly inappropriate for your organization to be lobbying the school board on this issue."

Talk about highly inappropriate. During the school board's July 8 public meeting, Dean Tistadt, the school system's chief operating officer, secretly e-mailed board members a report that found nothing wrong with the school's supposedly contaminated well water. The expense of fixing the water problem was one of three main arguments made for closing the school. This report completely eliminated it.

Yet according to e-mail transcripts, board Chairwoman Kathy Smith of Sully, Tessie Wilson of Braddock, and Patricia Reed of Providence -- who was participating from a remote location even though she was officially listed in the board minutes as "absent" -- discussed posting the water report before the vote with school board clerk Pamela Goddard.

"It can wait until tomorrow!" Wilson says. "I checked with Kathy and she agrees. GOOD GRIEF! Does she not realize we are in the middle of the meeting?" Without publicly divulging the explosive contents of the water report, the board then voted 9-2 to close Clifton without any plan for relocating its 369 students.

Besides Smith, Wilson, Bradsher, and Gibson, board Vice Chairman Brad Center of Lee, Ilryong Moon, at large, Jim Raney, at large, Dan Storck of Mount Vernon, and Jane Strauss of Dranesville voted to shutter the school.

"In effect, the school board pretended to conduct an open meeting while it simultaneously, by e-mail, discussed the same matters in a secret 'closed' session,' " the lawsuit alleged, asking the court to require FCPS to post all withheld e-mails pertaining to the vote on its Web site, hold a "properly noticed public meeting to reconsider the closure in accordance with its own policy (1501.3) to conduct its business in public, and schedule a re-vote.

On Tuesday, the lawsuit was voluntarily withdrawn before trial because representatives of the Fairfax County Public Schools and the school board are still refusing to provide documents requested under FOIA. If board members are allowed to get away with ignoring Virginia's open meetings statute, they will never again conduct controversial public business in public.

So besides demanding a do-over of the Clifton vote, voters should do-over the school board as well.

Barbara F. Hollingsworth is The Examiner's local opinion editor.
.ColumnistsBarbara F. HollingworthFairfax School BoardFOIANEP

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Did Jack Dale screw liz last night?

Why is Liz Bradshere calling all the PTAs in the boundary study?

Our PTA president was pretty upset. Is it normal for a school board representative to call PTA officers and try to get them to do what the school board wants?

This seems very strange right before the public hearing about the boundary changes (the latest changes see to be what the school board wants, so now they are pressuring PTAs to get in line with them?).

Very big brother.

Liz is contacting PTAs because she knows most of the ones involved in the southwestern boundary study have no confidence in the ability of FCPS staff to adequately plan for future enrollments at individual schools. You don't need to look any further than Liz's back yard at South County to see an example of that (overcrowded new school with surrounding schools having capacity to address the overcrowding). I just hope all the PTA presidents have what it takes to speak their minds instead of cowering to what likely in the end is pressure from Tessie and Kathy Smith. I don't see Liz having the energy left in her to pressure PTAs after the public humiliation following the Clifton decision. Deserved humiliation in my view.